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GLACIER "LUSENEY"
Risk type: ice avalanches

 Glacier list | Statistics
 
Type:  Ice sheet
Country:  Italy
Region:  Aosta Valley
Massif/Ice Cap:  Becca di Luseney
Municipality:  Bionaz
Municipality code:  
Location:  
 
Latitude (°, cent):  45.89 N
Longitude (°, cent):  7.49 E
Surface (km2):  0.391
Lenght (km):  0.93
Width (km):  
Min. altitude (m):  2895
Max. altitude (m):  3440
Orientation (°)  360
Slope (°)  25

EVENT:  Date  8/6/1952 -  Date quality:   
Type:  Ice avalanches
Description  A huge collapse of rocks and debris occurred in the morning from the western ridge of Becca di Luseney, around 3100 m. During the down-fall the mass involved and dragged down some tens of thousands of debris-covered ice (of a small, ancient glacier, still existing in XIX century). The great avalanche, a solid-liquid mixture, reached in few minutes the "Comba di Arbière", and then the bottom of Valpelline, covering in a very short time 1450 m of difference of altitude and over 3 km of lenght in horizontal projection. "Comba di Arbière" plain was covered by debris accumulation in a tract one km wide, and Arbière and Poullaye villages were lapped. The volume of the rock and debris fall probably was about 1 mio m3. The accumulation thickness was about 6-7 m in Chamen conoid, and 70 m in Poullaye gorge.
Effects:  The mass of debris went up on the opposite slope of Valpelline, sweeping away Chamen village, where four young herdsmen died. Buthier river was dammed by the debris accumulation, and 300.000 m3 of water accumulated in a lake behind. Two days later water partially broke the dam, causing a flash-flood that destroyed two houses in Poullaye village. Some days later a new rock and debris fall reached the Chamen plain, but without causing any further damage. Some ice blocks were observed in the debris accumulation.
Deaths(#)  4
Injuried (#)  0
Note  

DAMAGES    

Type:  Buildings Description:
Type:  Farmland, fertile land Description:

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Cerutti A. V., 1952 - La frana della Becca di Luseney. Augusta Praetoria, 5 (2), p. 72 - 81.
Dutto F., Mortara G., 1991 - Grandi frane storiche con percorso su ghiacciaio in Valle d'Aosta. Rev. Valdôtaine Hist. Nat., 45, p. 21-35.
Stragiotti L. & Peretti L., 1953 - Osservazioni di coni di ghiaccio sulla frana della Becca di Luseney (Valle d'Aosta). Boll. Comitato Glac. It. Serie II, n. 4, p. 213-219.